Strawberry Dream Cake

15 Reviews
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Photo: Greg Dupree Styling: Ginny Branch  
Hands-on Time
30 Mins
Total Time
2 Hours 10 Mins
Yield
Serves 12
May 2016
RECIPE BY Southern Living

This gorgeous cake is even more amazing when you slice into it, revealing the rows of perfect strawberries.

Ingredients

  • CAKE LAYERS
  • Shortening
  • Flour for pans
  • 1 cup (8 oz.) salted butter, softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 3 cups (about 12 oz.) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 (16-oz.) containers fresh strawberries
  • DREAMY WHIPPED FROSTING
  • 1 (8-oz.) container mascarpone cheese, softened
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

How to Make It

Step 1

Make the Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease, with shortening, and flour 2 (9-inch) round, 2-inch-deep cake pans. Beat the butter with a heavy-duty stand mixer at medium speed until fluffy; gradually add the sugar, beating well. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Step 2

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.

Step 3

Beat the egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold about one-third of the egg whites into batter; fold in remaining egg whites in 2 batches. Spoon batter into prepared cake pans.

Step 4

Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 28 to 32 minutes. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire rack, about 1 hour.

Step 5

Meanwhile, cut a thin slice from stem end of each of 20 to 25 whole strawberries to form a flat base; set strawberries aside.

Step 6

Make the Dreamy Whipped Frosting: Gently stir together the mascarpone cheese and 1/3 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Beat whipping cream and vanilla and almond extracts with an electric mixer at medium speed until foamy; increase speed to medium-high, and slowly add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the whipped cream mixture into cheese mixture; gently fold in remaining whipped cream mixture in 2 batches.

Step 7

Place 1 cooled cake layer on a cake plate or serving platter; spread top with 3/4 cup of the frosting. Working from the outer edge of cake layer toward middle, place strawberries, flat base sides down and pointed tops up, on top of frosted bottom layer.

Step 8

Spoon about 1 1/2 cups frosting into a ziplock plastic freezer bag; snip 1 corner to make a small hole. Pipe frosting between strawberries, filling in spaces completely. Gently spread about 3/4 cup of the frosting on top of berries.

Step 9

Place second cake layer on berry layer; spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Garnish with whole and sliced strawberries, if desired.

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Ratings & Reviews

Sara
August 22, 2016
Try shaking the heavy cream prior to use. Then crank up that mixer and go! The longer you mix the stiffer the cream gets.

Dreamy Strawberry Cake!

Shelton
June 04, 2016
My mom and I made this yummy and beautiful cake today. The frosting is light and fluffy which goes perfectly with the sweet strawberries. The texture and taste of the cake were amazing. Be sure to chill the whipping cream and mascarpone cheese throughly before making the frosting to prevent a runny frosting. In addition, we decided to make 1.5 times the amount of frosting the recipe called for, which turned out to be the perfect amount. One simple substitute for mascarpone cheese (which is somewhat difficult to find), is 12 ounces of cream cheese, 3/8 cup whipping cream, and 4 tablespoons of sour cream (do not substitute low fat cream cheese or sour cream). This recipe will yield 12-14 ounces of mascarpone cheese, enough to make 1.5 times the amount of frosting the original recipe calls for. This is a lovely summertime cake, fitting for any occasion. Next time, we are going to try it with blueberries!

Erin
May 08, 2017
By the way for the frosting use fine sugar not regular granulated sugar

Sonyaguidotti80
May 08, 2017
I did have to use two frosting recipes for the cake probably cause the strawberry's were huge. Perhaps if they were smaller a 2nd recipe would not be necessary.

Add Blueberries to make it Festive

Paula
July 04, 2016
It's a great 4th of July cake! The icing is absolutely delicious! My tip is to remember to fill in the icing around the exterior strawberries!

Delicious!

Violetvale47
May 28, 2017
This is a delicious, sturdy full bodied cake. Followed instructions exactly for both cake and icing and they turned out perfectly. Texture may be more dense than some may expect but very tasty and good for holding up the berries. A few observations: 1) I only had icing to generously ice the layers and I left the sides exposed. Presentation was beautiful as you could see the berries. 2) used two 10 inch pans as my 9 inch were not deep enough (only 1.5 inches). Next time I'll use three 8 inch pans and chop the berries for the interior layer to make it easier to stack. 3) topped with large fanned berries and served with extra macerated berries optional topping. This cake is beautiful and was a big hit.

Fabulous Cake

ileneseidel
July 05, 2017
I made this cake today for a Fourth of July Celebration Pot Luck.  Absolutely fantastic cake.  Moist and delicate at the same time.  Loved by all and beautiful.

Fantastic cake

Kathy
April 28, 2016
Not sure what other reviewer was talking about. This cake was delicious. It was moist, a thick consistency like pound cake. The icing was delicious. I took it to work and it was promptly devoured by 730 am. No one has a complaint. It is a high cake with the strawberries upright in middle, and so the icing recipe wasn't enough. I ended up frosting the top with cool whip because I ran out of the marscarpone cream, which was sweet and fresh, very good. It all turned out beautifully, but I gave it 4/5 stars because I really needed double the icing!!

Spectacular!

cashimere
April 30, 2016
The person who wrote the first review must have done something wrong because this cake was delicious! I made three 8 inch cake layers because I didn't have a 9 inch pan. The cake is the consistency of a pound cake. I also sliced the strawberries and laid them flat between the layers. This frosting is just the right consistency, easy to spread, and tasted so good! I fed this to a bunch of college kids, who devoured it!

Runny frosting

Amy
May 08, 2016
I am in no way a cake expert actually this was only my second cake to make from scratch. The cake came out awesome. Tasted great and had a really good density to it. However I too had a very runny frosting. I followed the directions and don't know where I went wrong. I was disappointed to say the least.